Method of and apparatus for wrapping soft substances



' C. W. VOGT Filed Feb. 24, 1954 VO GT T. m w.

CLARENCE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING SOFT SUBSTANCES Feb. 18, 1958 v killer Unied S at s. P t

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING SOFT SUBSTANCES Clarence W. Vogt, Norwalk, Conn. Application February 24, 1954, Serial No. 412,234

9 Claims. (CI. 53-14) This invention relates to a method and means of wrapping soft substances, particularly products such as soft butter, margarine, lard, candy, soap, plastics and the like, with reinforced-type enwrapments of the general organization represented in applicants co-pending application Serial No. 235,209, filed July 5, 1951.

The enwrapments therein disclosed comprise generally a'sheet of relatively flexible wrapping material having a strip of stiif reinforcement material which extends beyond the ends of the product to be wrapped and may even extend beyond the edges of the flexible wrapping material; the stilf reinforcement engages one side of the product to be wrapped and the extending ends thereof may be folded back against the ends of the product to be wrapped before the sheet of wrapping material is wrapped about the product. By means of such enwrapment, products may be effectively enclosed or wrapped with a minimum amount of wrapping material, while affording a reasonable amount of protection to the product against external stresses that might cause it to be deformed.

In wrapping commodities with the above-described reinforced wrapping, it has been customary to space the reinforcement strips at suitable intervals on a continuously moving web of the wrapping material to deliver the product or commodity to be wrapped onto the top of the reinforcement strip and thereafter to cut the wrapping material to desired lengths preparatory to the actual packaging of the commodity in the reinforced enwrapment. However, because the stiff reinforcement material is available in rolls, it has an inherent curvature, unless it is first straightened out. If the reinforcement material is not properly straightened before packaging, its curved shape may result in a deformed package.

, The present invention is intended to remedy this condition and has special advantages in the packaging of soft products and commodities. According to the present invention, as the wrapping paper, together with the reinforcement strips properly spaced thereon, is transported to the point at which the product is to be delivered thereto for packaging, the reinforcement strips are reversely bent in a manner opposite to the original curvature thereof, and the edges thereof are engaged to maintain the reinforcement strips in this reversely flexed condition. When the reinforcement strip is translated to the point at which the product is to be delivered thereto, the edges of the reinforcement strips are released and permitted to assume a shape which, of course, will have been influenced by the reverse bending thereof. Thus, the reverse bending may be controlled to eliminate entirely or to reduce the original curvature of the reinforcement strips before packaging to insure that the commodity will be neatly packaged.

The aforedescribed method of packaging is especially suitable for wrapping and packaging very soft products or commodities. Obviously, if the curved shape of the reinforcement material notremoved before the pack aging of soft products, the resulting enwrapment or package will not only be lacking in neatness and attractiveness, but the soft product that is being wrapped probably will be deformed. The present invention can be advantageously employed to prevent deformation of the product. In addition, the present invention may be controlled in such a manner as to re-shape certain very soft commodities which may not have been properly shaped initially or which may have become slightly deformed prior to their delivery upon the reinforcement strip.

For example, the lower surface of very soft butter or margarine has a tendency to bulge or bow at the middle in convex fashion after it has been extruded and formed into bricks. It has been found that bringing the bulged surface of the butter into contact with the convex side of reinforcement strips which have been uncorrected for their original curved shape further deforms the brick by squashing and widening the undersurface thereof. However, by first reducing the original curvature of the reinforcement strip, the curvature can be corrected and controlled so that it actually compensates for the bulge in the lower surface of the brick and properly reforms it in the desired shape.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the detailed description of the invention which follows and to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an illustrative view showing a manner of carrying out the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a view of the representation of Fig. 1, looking from the left side thereof.

Referring to the drawing, a web 10 of wrapping material is fed from any suitable source, such as a roller, to a cylinder 11 rotatably mounted in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 on an axial shaft 12. The web of Wrapping material is shown as having applied thereto at suitable spaced intervals, the strips 13 of reinforcement material. The web passes around a segment of the cylinder before the product is delivered to the reinforcement strip.

The outer periphery of the cylinder 11 carries thereon one or more backing plates or dies 14 presenting outer concave surfaces 14a. The plates 14 are mounted transversely on the cylinder, and, if more than one plate is carried, the spacing between the plates on the cylinder conforms to the spacing between the reinforcement strips 13 on the web of wrapping material.

A pair of oppositely disposed strip engaging members or jaws 15 is mounted at each end of the transverse backing plate 14, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the separation between the two sets of jaws is such to permitthe web 10 of wrapping material to be received on the cylinder between them and at the same time to permit the ends of the reinforcement strips, which extend beyond the side edges of the wrapping material, to be received between; The oppositely 1 the oppositely disposed jaws of each set. disposed jaws are preferably, although not necessarily,

mounted for slight relative movement toward and away: from each other, such as, for example, by cam controlled pivotal movement so that the reinforcement strip may ;be

readily received between the jaws and held thereby in bent or flexed condition.

in such fashion that the curvature thereof is opposite in respect to the concave surface 14a of the backingplate j that is to say, the concave surface of the reinforcement Pitented Feb. 1S, 19 5 8.

r 3 strip is presented to the concave surface 14a of the plate.

The further rotation of the cylinder 11 translates the strip engaging jaws and the reinforcement strip held thereby to a reciprocating strip contacting pusher head 17 having a convexly curved surface. The head 17 engages the strip 13 against the backing plate 14, and the curved surfaces of the head 17 and the backing plate 14 have the effect of reversely bending or flexing the strip between the jaws in a manner opposite to the original curved shape of the reinforcement strip. The jaws may now be closed toward each other and against the edges of the reinforcement strip to insure that the reinforcement strip will be held therebetween in the bent or flexed condition. In other words, the space between the closed jaws must be less than the width of the strip if straight.

The reverse curvature or bend of the reinforcement strip 13 is maintained therein by the jaws 15 for a sufficient time duration so that when the jaws are separated, the original curve of the reinforcement strip will have been reduced or eliminated entirely. if desired, the reverse curvature of the reinforcement strip may be controlled by regulating the closure of the jaws against the strip after it has been reversely bent or flexed.

When the reinforcement strip reaches the point at which an article or product P is to be delivered thereto, the jaws may be opened to release the reinforcement strip and permit it to restore itself to its straightened shape. The article or product P is set on top of the reinforcement strip, either before or after the release of the strip by the jaws. The jaws may then be retracted within the cylinder so that the web of wrapping material, the reinforcement strip and the article or product P to be wrapped may be translated to a conveyor belt 18 which carries them to a cutting position where the web of wrapping material is cut into sheet length and then to a wrapping station where the article or product P is wrapped according to the teaching of the above-identified co-pending application.

As mentioned above, the present invention may be advantageously employed to re-shape certain very soft substances before the actual wrapping thereof. For example, the underside of very soft butter or margarine which has been extruded and formed into bricks has a tendency to have a convex bulge somewhat in the manner represented in Fig. 1. By considerably reducing the curved shape of the reinforcement strip by first reversely bending the strip, the resulting shape of the reinforcement strip can be controlled to compensate for the bulge of the butter or margarine brick, to thereby reform and straighten out both the reinforcement strip and the surface of the butter or margarine with which the strip comes in contact so that a neat package may be produced.

The curvature in the underside of the product P is represented in the drawing. As in the general process above described, the product to be wrapped may be delivered to the reinforcement strip either before or after the latter is released by the gripping jaws, however, it is believed preferable to deliver the product before the release of the jaws, so that the straightening action of both the undersurface of the butter and the reinforcement strip will be gradual, instead of abrupt. In this manner greater control can be exercised over the straightening action.

The aforegoing invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way of example only, and obvious- 1y many variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The method of practicing the present invention may be carried out manually or by apparatus completely apart from the specific apparatus herein described. For example, the web 10 of wrapping material may be translated toward the product receiving station in a straight line instead of around the cylinder 11, and the wrapping material may be fed in sheets, rather than in web form. Moreover, instead of applying the reinforcement strip to the web in some suitable manner, as indicated in Fig. 1, the strips may be delivered individually and separately to the jaws,

'4' or if the wrapping material is fed in a horizontal plane, the strips may be merely loosely deposited upon the top of the wrapping material. Consequently, the invention is not to be limited to any particular form, sequence or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method for reversely bending curved reinforcement strips of enwrapments wherein the reinforcing strips extend beyond the edges of the enwrapments comprising the steps of delivering the enwrapment with the reinforcement strip applied thereto to a movable holder, engaging a face of the reinforcement strip and applying pressure thereto to reversely bend it, gripping the edges of the reinforcement strip beyond the edges of the enwrapment to maintain the reverse bend therein, and releasing the edges of the reinforcement strip to permit it to straighten out.

2. In the enwrapment of substances with a wrapping material having a strip of reinforcement material which extends beyond the edges of the wrapping material, the steps of feeding the wrapping material and a curved reinforcement strip therewith toward the substance to be wrapped, delivering the reinforcement strip to a pair of holding members which engage that portion of the reinforcement strip which extends beyond the edge of the wrapping material, flexing the reinforcement strip in a manner opposite to its original curved shape, said holding members engaging the edges of the reinforcement strip to maintain said reversely flexed shape thereof, and releasing said holding members to permit the strip to assume a different shape of reduced curvature.

3. A method of wrapping soft substances having a bulged surface in enwrapments having a curved reinforcement strip, the steps of reversely flexing the reinforcement strip in a manner opposite to the original curved shape thereof to substantially reduce the sharpness of the curve, bringing the soft substance to be wrapped and the reinforcement strip into contact with each other with the convex face of the reinforcement strip engaging the bulged surface of the soft substance, the arrangement being such that the curvature of the reinforcement strip reforms the surface of soft substance and the bulge in the soft substance straightens out the reinforcement strip to permit the substance to be neatly wrapped.

4. Apparatus for reversely bending curved reinforcement strips of enwrapments wherein the reinforcement strips extend beyond the edges of the enwrapments comprising, means for translating the enwrapment and the reinforcement strip toward the wrapping position, gripper jaws for receiving the reinforcement strip between them, and means for engaging the reinforcement strip and reversely bending it in a manner opposite to the original curved shape thereof, said gripper jaws engaging the side edges of the reinforcement strip beyond the edges of the enwrapment to maintain the reverse bend therein, and thereafter releasing the reinforcement strip from the gnpper aws.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein the enwrapment is supplied in web form.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 4 including a rotatable cylinder upon which the gripper jaws are carried, the enwrapment being guided toward the wrapping point by said cylinder.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein the means for engaging the reinforcement strip to reversely bend it includes a convexly curved surface.

8. In the enwrapment of substances with a wrapping material having a strip of reinforcement material having a curvature therein, the method 'of reducing said original curvature of the reinforcement material comprising the steps of feeding the wrapping material and a curved reinforcement strip therewith toward the substance to be wrapped, reversely flexing the reinforcement strip in a manner opposite to the original curvature thereof, maintaining said reversely flexed curvature in the reinforcement strip by pressure applying means movable into engagement with the reinforcement strip, and retracting the pressure applying means to permit the strip to assume a different shape of reduced curvature.

9. Apparatus for flexing the reinforcement strip of an enwrapment while feeding the enwrapment and the reinforcement strip to a delivery station at which the substance to be wrapped is delivered to the reinforcement strip comprising means for feeding the enwrapment and the reinforcement strip to the delivery station, gripping means spaced apart from each other along the path of travel of said enwrapment as it is fed toward the delivery station, said gripping means being engageable with opposite edges of a reinforcement strip presented therebetween, the separation between said gripping means while they are engaging opposite edges of the reinforcement strip being less than the distance between the opposite edges of the reinforcement strip when the reinforcement strip is fiat, means defining a recess between said spaced apart gripping means, and means for engaging from one side a reinforcement strip presented to said recess for flexing the reinforcement strip so that it can be held in flexed condition between said spaced apart gripping means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,252,460 Linderme Jan. 8, 1918 2,294,220 Albertson Aug. 25, 1942 2,649,035 Cloud Aug. 18, 1953 

